June 11, 2021

To: All Members

RE: EngageNL Public Feedback Survey on the Premier’s Economic Recovery Team Report (PERT)

The provincial government recently launched a survey to gather public feedback on the PERT report. Individuals must register with EngageNL to access the survey. (Click HERE to register) 

The Association has reviewed the survey questionnaire and we have a number of concerns with how it is structured, which is, unfortunately, not particularly user friendly. The survey is misleading and analysis demonstrates that it is self-serving. 

For example, the areas of education (including K-12 and post-secondary), health care and social support programming are “lumped” together and respondents are asked to indicate if they support these recommendations in general, as opposed to being able to comment specifically on the separate recommendations for each of these very distinct areas. Also, recommendations regarding “streamlining” the administration of public K-12 education are grouped together, with no obvious way to comment separately on the different and distinct issues that fall under the general statement/question in the survey. 

The survey is not adequately designed to measure the public's views regarding the PERT recommendations. Polling public opinion is an important endeavour, especially when consulting the public on government programs and policy. However, poll results are influenced by the way a question is worded. Poorly drafted public opinion polls must not be used to influence government programs and policy; nor should they be considered to constitute meaningful consultation. 

NLTA members are encouraged to review the survey and, with the above comments in mind, are advised to exercise careful attention and caution in completing it. It is recommended that you review the report (click HERE for the full PERT report) in advance, with particular focus on the recommendations pertaining to the public K-12 education system, as well as President Dean Ingram’s public response from May 7, 2021 (click HERE for the President's statement.)  

Of particular concern to the NLTA and its members are the recommendations that speak to:
  • public sector wage freezes;
  • overriding of fairly and legally negotiated collective agreements by legislation;
  • elimination of defined benefit pension plans – on this issue, you may find you may find the response from former NLTA Executive Director Don Ash, which was previously shared with members, of assistance (click HERE to read the letter);
  • recommendation regarding the scope of practice of educational psychologists and guidance counsellors;
  • delegation of instructional responsibilities to “community experts”;
  • changing school opening and closing hours to lengthen the workday;
  • unsubstantiated conclusions regarding the skills and expertise of teachers;
  • elimination of both the English and French school boards;
  • removal of principals, vice-principals and “other supervisory staff” from the NLTA;
  • total disregard for the challenges of delivering K-12 public education in the context of NL’s unique demography; and,
  • suggesting privatization of public agencies, services and assets.
Members no doubt have views on other aspects of the PERT report, which can be shared through the survey. The Association will be completing the separate stakeholder survey and preparing a detailed written submission.

The survey for individuals takes about half an hour to complete, depending on personal response choices. With this in mind, we provide the following tips to assist members when they access the survey:
  • have the PERT report and/or Executive Summary (click HERE for the Executive Summary) within access while completing the survey so that you can refer to the actual wording of the recommendations as needed. In the Executive Summary, the recommendations that relate to collective bargaining and public sector pension plans can be found on pages 22-23, and those that pertain to the public K-12 education system can be found at pages 45-48;
  • if you do not agree with an entire statement/question, then say you oppose it – the questionnaire will give you an opportunity to explain, which is a good place to then identify the misleading and manipulative manner in which the item was worded, such as asking for input on a grouping of recommendations instead of dealing with specific, individual items separately; and,
  • review before submitting – the survey will allow you to go back to previous responses before finalizing and submitting your submission.
The Association has collected all relevant responses to the PERT report, including media appearances by President Ingram and correspondence from the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour. If you wish to view these items before completing the survey, the links can be found HERE .

The survey is a bit long and, as previously noted, poorly constructed. However, it is one means by which feedback on the PERT report can be submitted. The Association understands how precious your personal time is, but it is also important that the voices and perspectives of individual teachers are included in this process. Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider this information and participating in the survey. The survey is open until June 30, 2021.

The NLTA will continue to keep members informed and update the website information on actions taken in response to the PERT report.